Chapter 9: Getting Closer

The trumpet blared through the entire dorm area, startling students from their sleep and waking them. Many simply grumbled and pulled the covers over their heads while others sighed and stood, stretching. Krista was one of those teens, enjoying the fresh morning air from the open window.

Ymir peeked from under her pillow. Krista was standing on the sofa in order to enjoy the breeze, leaning forward slightly. Ymir grumbled again and turned around.

Krista heard the sheets move and faced Ymir, smiling. She'd been doing that a lot since she got here, and it had to do with the fact that Ymir was right here, with her, for the duration of the trip. Her company was not the best, but she still had a way of boosting Krista's spirit. Maybe it was her fierce protectiveness, or her cool disposition – whatever it was, Krista was simply hooked.

She quietly tip-toed to Ymir's sleepy form and leaned over her. She grinned deviously and made a motion to cover her ears to Hannah and Mina, who watched with curiosity. They complied and Krista took a deep, noisy breath. Ymir's eyes snapped open, and just as she was about to say something, Krista had already put her mouth to her ear.

"WAKE UP YMIIIIIIRRR!"

"FUCK!"

Ymir jumped high and slammed her palm to her ear, which she was sure was bleeding by now. After the ringing in her ear canal subsided, she snapped her head to Krista, who had taken to laughing and crying on the carpeted floor. She glared and grit her teeth, pulling the sheets away from her body and pressing the heels of her feet to the floor.

"Oh my lord... that was just... ahahahahh!" Krista wheezed, gripping her stomach.

Ymir stood and bent over Krista's shaking form. The girl noticed her then, gasping and trying to crawl away. She couldn't though, her energy was totally consumed by her laughing fit. Ymir didn't have trouble scooping her up, pulling the screen away from their window and literally throwing Krista out.

The blonde shrieked as she landed on the grass. The impact didn't hurt, but her face reddened from embarrassment. She was only wearing a short night dress, so she scrambled to sit upright. Ymir poked her head through the window and sneered.

"Serves you right, brat." And she disappeared from view. She also replaced the screen over the window tightly to make sure Krista would have to go around to enter.

The blonde stood and huffed, stomping her foot. Ymir was such a jerk! All she did was try to wake her up – then again, she did almost blow up her eardrums so maybe it was fair game. Krista inched around the dorm building, back pressed against the wall. She was between the girls' dorm and the mess hall, but the only entrance was at the front. In front of everyone passing by. Even though it was morning, some were early risers, such as Mikasa, and preferred to hang around in the centre until breakfast.

Peeking around the corner, she quickly turned around and blushed when she saw the Scouting Legion of all people in the centre. It seemed Jean had been the one responsible for the morning trumpet, and the others were simply accompanying him. Reiner and Bertholdt were sitting and leaning against each other, snoring lightly. Apparently, they, too, objected to the active hours.

Marco was packing up the trumpet when he noticed her. He tilted his head and gave a shy smile. She waved her hand in a dismissing fashion and put her finger to her lips. Marco laughed quietly and nodded. When Jean asked him a question Marco made sure Jean's back was facing her, giving her a discreet thumbs up.

Krista thanked Marco under her breath and stealthily sneaked to the front door - as stealthily as she could in a night dress, anyway. However, when she reached the front, her blood froze.

It was locked.

From the inside.

There was a window on the door, and behind that glass surface was Ymir with a shit-eating grin. Krista pounded her fist on the window, on Ymir's face, but the brunette simply laughed. Krista paled and turned her head, now with both her fists hitting the glass with more intensity.

Ymir shook her head at Krista's pleading expression, smirking, but when the blonde pulled out the pout and teary eyes, Ymir hesitated. She suddenly felt guilty for throwing the blonde out the window. Sure, she screamed in her ear, but maybe she had good intentions? With a sigh, she unlocked the door. Krista threw the door open with relief and slumped against the adjacent wall. Ymir chuckled and walked away, but then Krista grabbed her wrist and tightened her hold. The brunette looked back and rolled her eyes at the glare.

"You didn't have to do that!" Krista scolded.

"It's called payback, princess. You fuck up my ear drums, I get you a little dirty," Ymir retorted.

Krista blushed at Ymir's vulgar comment but stood her ground. She did release her grip on Ymir, however. She sighed then looked down.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry."

Ymir rolled her eyes and scuffed her feet against the floor.

"'msorrytoo," Ymir mumbled hurriedly.

Krista smiled and leaned closer, a teasing tone to her voice.

"What? I didn't quite catch that."

Ymir glanced up at her and glared weakly, but sighed in resignation.

"I'm sorry too."

"Aww..."

Ymir scowled and began walking, Krista at her elbow.

"Shut up. I'm going to get changed now – don't wanna miss breakfast."

"I can't believe you apologized that's just the cutest thing ever you were all blushing and–"

"Shut. Up."

"Grouch."

"Brat."

Krista stuck her tongue out and Ymir scoffed, turning the knob of their room's door. When they entered, Hannah and Mina were already dressed for the day. They had their swimsuits under loose shirts and shorts.

"Oh yeah," Ymir deadpanned, "we're swimming today. Joy."

"Yay!" Krista cheered.

The brunette grabbed her things and rushed into the bathroom, locking it. Krista pouted but sat at the edge of the bed. Mina sat beside her and glanced at the door.

"Did she seriously, you know, throw you out the window?" Mina whispered.

Krista gave her a weird look but nodded. She grinned, rubbing her arms slightly. "Yeah, but it didn't hurt or anything. Ymir just dropped me – she didn't throw me out like she wanted to hurt me."

"Are you sure? I mean, what kind of friend causes harm to another one?"

"But she didn't cause harm, she was just teaching me a lesson."

"I still say she's dangerous and you should stay away from her."

"And I say I'll always be on Ymir's side, no matter what, so stop trying to convince me otherwise."

Ymir had her back pressed to the bathroom door, ears sharp and listening. Her body trembled from Krista's bold and powerful words and she gripped her elbows tightly. Krista was defending her, protecting her. Why? What had Ymir ever done for her? What compelled the little blonde to defend her so vehemently? Why did she care so much?

Ymir pursed her lips and walked to the mirror, staring at her reflection. She traced her freckles, blushing slightly.

"Your freckles! They're cute."

She gripped the edge of the sink tightly but relented and sighed. It was too late; she was already falling hard.

Breakfast was a mundane thing, with slack-jawed teens munching on their cereal like cows munch on grass. They all appeared dead on their feet, but somehow Krista was immune to that, shining radiantly. She happily shovelled the food in her mouth and laughed at a joke Sasha said. It was another one of those generic 'knock knock' jokes, but it was a pretty clever one.

Krista glanced at Ymir to see her slumped over the table, head buried in her arms. She excused herself from Sasha's conversation and poked Ymir's head. No movement. She poked it again, satisfied when Ymir turned her eyes to glare at her weakly.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"'m fine."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I don't have an appetite."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, now go back to crunching on your damn cereal."

"Okay!"

Krista chomped on her breakfast loudly, just to bother Ymir. It worked and the brunette blew air from between her teeth to control her frustration. When the blonde finished her breakfast, she bid her friends goodbye and pulled Ymir to her feet.

"Mina and Hannah are already finished. They're waiting outside the dorm for roll call."

"Whatever."

Krista simply grinned and they both walked to the front of the dorms, joining Mina and Hannah.

"What - no annoying boyfriend?" Ymir muttered.

Krista elbowed her ribs and forced a smile when Hannah looked their way. "Ymir, what did I say?"

"Tch."

Just then, Franz came by and he and Hannah rubbed their noses together in a sickeningly sweet way. Krista and Mina gushed and squealed. Ymir rolled her eyes and pretended to be interested in something far away. She noticed Keith coming towards them and smirked.

"FRANZ! GET YOUR FAT ASS TO THE BOYS' DORM BEFORE I RIP YOUR BALLS OUT!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Franz saluted. He briefly kissed Hannah before jogging to where Keith was pointing. Keith stomped over there as well, muttering about 'hormonal teenagers' and the like. Finally, the official time for roll call came around at approximately 10:00 and Hanji was calling out names from her attendance sheet.

"Sasha Braus?"

"Mmph! Hmm, hm!"

"Now I understand why Keith hates you so much. Sasha, please don't talk with your mouth full; it's not very sanitary."

After roll call, Hanji held her hand up to stop the girls from going any further. "As I'm sure you know, today there will be mandatory group activities from ten-thirty to thirteen-thirty. We will be having a swimming competition, first with the genders separated. At the end of each tournament, the winning teams will face each other. Winning is not the goal, ladies, just go out there, have fun and do your best!"

The girls cheered and gathered with their groups to chatter about the tournament. Krista clapped her hands in delight and smiled at Ymir, who in turn groaned and put her head in her palms. "You're not gonna make me do this, are you?'

'You heard her! We all have to participate, it's mandatory. C'mon, Ymir, it'll be fun! Then I can take you wherever you want after."

"Don't bother her, Krista, she'll only bring us down."

"Mina I thought I–"

"Do you have a problem with me, bitch?"

All eyes turned to Ymir, who had gotten close to Mina's face and snarled. Mina looked terrified but refused to back down, meeting Ymir's eyes. Ymir's fingers twitched and she looked ready to kill, if the dilating of her pupils and her tensed jaw were any indication.

Krista reached forward and pressed her hand to Ymir's shoulder blade. Instantly, the tall girl relaxed, but remained deadly still. Her fingers stopped twitching. Mina held her breath as Ymir raised her hand slowly. She looked like she was seriously considering punching her, but one glance behind her assured Mina that she wouldn't do it – she wouldn't want to disappoint Krista.

Ymir turned around and stalked off, shoving her fists in her shorts' pockets. Krista let her go, sighing and crossing her arms. There was an awkward silence before Hanji cleared her throat. "Ahem, well, the competition will be held in the lap pool area available across the water resort. We've reserved the area for today, and who knows? We may have more tournaments in the future if all goes well with this one. All of you should be heading there with your teams right about now."

All the girls left for the establishment down the road, leaving Krista, Hannah and Mina in front of the dorm. Sasha waved at Krista and she shyly waved back, mood dampened by Ymir's actions and disappearance. Mina fidgeted and turned to Hannah to try and start a conversation, but Hannah shook her head and frowned.

Krista sighed and looked Mina in the eye. "I suppose I'll just have to go look for her. Meet us there?"

Mina and Hannah nodded and they walked down the road. Krista stayed to watch them leave then turned on her heel. She found Ymir behind the girls' dorm, throwing pebbles at a tree. Ymir sat against the wall with her legs bent and her feet resting firmly on the ground. One elbow was against her knee, head resting in her palm. Her other arm was busy at work with the pebbles being thrown.

"Fuckin' bitch," she muttered, "I shoulda just punched her lights out. Then I wouldn't have to do anything. It's all Krista's fault, her damn smile and her kindness. I'm such an idiot."

"No you're not."

Ymir jumped at the intrusion and turned to Krista, who had walked up to Ymir's form and sat next to her. The brunette trembled but didn't complain when Krista put a hand to her arm. She rubbed it soothingly, frowning when Ymir turned her head away.

"What are you doing here?" Ymir questioned quietly.

"I was worried about you, that's all. We need to get to the lap pool area." Krista answered without missing a beat. She'd already been expecting this question from Ymir.

"Just go, I'm not gonna bother. Mina won't work with me and I sure as hell don't wanna work with her."

"Don't work with her, then! Just go and have some fun! Goodness, Ymir, you act like I'm forcing you to get along with everyone when the truth is I just don't want you to get in trouble. Let's go swim and have a good time. Please?"

Ymir remained silent, thinking, then scowled at Krista's pout. "Stop that. Fine, I'll go, just make sure I don't regret this."

"You won't, don't worry!"

Krista pulled Ymir up and linked their arms together as they walked to the establishment to meet up with Mina and Hannah.

The lap pool area was located in a building a few metres away from the water park, and it was enormous. There were two twenty-five metre pools with four lanes each. The scent of chlorine assaulted the noses of the students and some had already stripped to their bathing suits. The boys wore trunks, though some bold souls preferred a speedo suit - Reiner and Bertholdt were those boys. The girls wore bikinis and two-piece bathing suits. Ymir, however, chose to wear shorts rather than panties.

She sat on a bench in the girls' locker room and watched Krista strip. She had a light blue bikini on, contrasting with Ymir's bra and shorts. Her body was small and pale and Ymir couldn't help but stare. Krista's breasts bounced when she lifted her shirt and Ymir's mouth dried up. She bent over to pull down her sweat pants and Ymir grit her teeth, willing her eyes to turn away but failing. Krista was just a natural tease, wasn't she?

Krista turned around after putting her clothes on the bench across from Ymir. She smiled at the brunette and raised an eye at her blush. However, when her eyes trailed downward, she couldn't help her own blush at the sight of Ymir's rippling bronze abdomen muscles. Her belly button suddenly appealed to Krista. Her fingers twitched but she forced herself to calm down because this was her friend she was thinking about and oh my god her legs are so long and tan.

An awkward silence stretched before Ymir stood and put a hand to Krista's bare shoulder. The sensation of skin on skin caused a warm feeling to spread through the both of them, never mind the electrical current that travelled between them at Ymir's touch. Ymir pressed her lips together in thought, shaking her head.

"C'mon Krista, let's go."

Krista's voice failed her so she simply opted to nod her head weakly and follow.

Once they exited the locker room, they smiled. The ceiling arched magnificently and was built from glass, allowing the sun light to shine beautifully on the water. It was still, and the girls were at one pool while the boys at the other. Levi wore black spandex briefs and sat on a life guard's chair. For some reason, he wore a visor hat, a metal whistle around his neck and a hint of sunscreen on his nose. He looked bored, legs crossed one over the other and his head leaning on his fist. On the opposite end of the room sat Hanji, clad in a one-piece and looking excited. She wore the same accessories as Levi, minus the bit of sunscreen.

Keith was wearing army trunks and a white t-shirt. He stood between the two pools, legs spread and arms behind his back. He blew loudly on his own whistle to gain the students' attention. Ymir ignored him, sitting at the edge of the pool with her legs in the water. Krista sat beside her in an identical position, however she was kicking her legs lightly. The girls chattered excitedly around them and the boys were too busy drooling over the girls to do anything else.

Hannah and Mina sat next to Krista, equally wearing bikini suits. They exchanged a look and sighed, covering their ears. Ymir scoffed and glanced at Keith, glad to see his face boiling mad. She elbowed Krista lightly to get her to look at him and the blonde stifled a giggle, leaning against Ymir's shoulder to hide her face. Ymir grit her teeth and pinked a bit, but said nothing.

Krista leaned against Ymir for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of her skin. She was warm, and though her palms were calloused, her shoulder was soft. And freckled. Krista giggled against the brunette's shoulder again. She leaned back and smiled at Ymir, though her smile evaporated when she saw Keith take a deep breath and press the whistle to his mouth. She covered her ears and nudged Ymir to do the same. Suddenly, a sharp noise cut through the air and all unprepared students shouted in pain. Keith smirked and called for everyone's attention.

"You piles of meat finally hearing me? Good. Today is the swimming tournament, designed to finally put an end to your worthless gender squabble. With this, we will see which sex is truly the best at swimming. Stop giggling you morons! The boys and girls tournaments will be proceeding at the same time, in order to save time and give you yours after the activity. Also, this way, the boys will be too occupied to ogle the girls. Yes, I saw your damn staring, you perverted fucks, now stop visually undressing my students before I attach twenty-five kilogram dumbbells to your legs and throw you in the pool.

"The tournament will be as follows: it will be a relay match, so we will have two students at each side of the pool. It is up to your team as to who goes first, second, third and last. Each team will have a differently coloured baton to pass around, and each person will swim to one side of the pool before exchanging the baton. It is freestyle, but I suggest a traditional front crawl approach in order to keep it relaxed. The first team to complete four laps with the baton, without it being dropped, wins. Four teams each round, round robin at first and then elimination later. The winning team from each gender will face each other, meaning we will have the best of the best. Have fun, don't cheat and try your hardest."

Levi pulled a megaphone that was hooked on the side of the chair and lifted it to his lips. "Team Eren, Team Reiner, Team Nack and Team Joe, please get ready for your match." His voice was dull and flat, like he really couldn't care any less.

"Wow, right at the start, huh? All right, Armin, Connie, Seth – let's do our best!"

"Yeah!"

"Of course, Eren."

"Bertholdt, don't hold back! Let's show 'em what we got!"

"Okay, Reiner."

"Mikasa's watching me, Marco! I have to do my best!"

"Uhh, Jean, she's not watching you. She's with Sasha."

"WHAT?!"

"Jean, what the hell did you wipe on me?!"

"My faith in girls."

Hanji mimicked Levi, but her voice was much more excited. "Ladies, if I can have your attention! Team Mikasa, Team Krista, Team Celeste and Team Ellie, you're up!"

"Aw, we're up against Mikasa's team? They have two super athletes, there's no way we'll win!"

"Cheer up, Mina! It's okay if we lose! Round robin matches are not meant to be won, just make sure we don't end up in last so we can actually get a chance to win."

Krista turned to Hannah and Mina. "So, who's going first? What's our order? I can go first, if you'd like."

Hannah adopted a thinking pose. "Well, who are our strongest swimmers? I'd say Ymir could be our strongest, since she seems the most fit out of all of us…" At Ymir's glare, she trailed off nervously and coughed into her fist.

"Then Ymir can go first and I can go last, since I've taken swimming lessons a while back," Mina suggested. Krista nodded, but seemed somewhat disappointed that she wouldn't contribute heavily. Ymir placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up into her brown eyes.

"This isn't permanent, you know. We're doing this for fun, so if you really wanna go first, you can next time." Krista's eyes lit up and she smiled widely.

"Thanks, Ymir."

Ymir sighed then bent down to scoop some water. It was starting to get really hot and sweaty, due to the amount of people in the room and the air temperature. At least the water's cold, Ymir thought, splashing her face and hair. Krista turned her head to see what Ymir was doing and her eyes widened. The water droplets trailed down Ymir's face, cheek bones and jaw, down her chin, her neck, and then the valley between her breasts. Another tantalizing drop escaped the confines of Ymir's black bra and traced her abs, disappearing from view into her shorts. Ymir took out her hair clip and shook her head. She pushed her hair back and leaned forward, hair hanging and droplets sliding off her nose. Krista was mesmerized by a particular drop of water that seemed stuck right on her jaw.

The blonde leaned forward and thumbed it, causing Ymir to straighten and look at her. Krista couldn't help it; Ymir looked incredibly sexy with her hair slicked back the way it was and water sliding off her jaw. She felt a blush coming on and was pleasantly surprised to see Ymir blush slightly as well. Was she into girls? Krista had never given it much thought, too preoccupied with her miserable social life and her parents. She'd never really had a crush on a boy, and she did find certain girls to be cute, such as Mina or Sasha. But Ymir was on a whole different level.

Ymir, on the other hand, was suffering a panic attack on the inside. Was Krista staring at her? As in, was she really checking her out? In a non-friendly way? Was that drool on her chin? This was just too good to pass up. Despite her trembling hands and her rapidly beating heart, Ymir smirked and slicked her hair back again. Her smirk widened when Krista's blush deepened.

"Like what you see?" she whispered huskily.

Krista coughed and was about to say something when Mina tapped her shoulder. Everyone was starting to get in their places and the inactive teams were seated already.

"Krista, we need to get to the other side of the pool for the relay, remember?" Mina reminded. Krista nodded dumbly and stood to follow Mina. She wished her team good luck and couldn't help but wish everyone else luck as well. Her peers smiled in gratitude and thanked her. Ymir watched her walk, swallowing nervously and forcing her warming body to stand up. She was feeling hot, way too hot, and she was glad they were going first.

Keith handed her a blue baton and she twirled it around mindlessly. Hannah stood beside her awkwardly, fidgeting and gripping her elbows, but Ymir couldn't find it within herself to care. She didn't need to cooperate with Hannah to win, since they were never going to meet in the water.

She tightened her grip on the baton and took a kneeling stance on the edge of the pool. She looked to the side and spotted Annie doing the same. Ymir smirked. Oh, so she was going against Annie, huh? This was going to be fun. Mikasa was behind Annie, tapping her foot and staring at Eren. She seemed anxious about being separated from him and Ymir had to wonder if the oriental girl thought he'd drown or something. He wouldn't, anyway, not on Levi's watch. Or maybe that was why she was anxious? Because Levi would save him and not her?

Ymir held back a laugh and turned her face to stare at Krista, who looked pumped and ready to go. She'd have to pass her baton to Krista, which Ymir was glad for. She would rather avoid any sort of contact with the other two numbskulls on her team.

With her arms straightened beside her head, baton tightly clenched in her right hand, Ymir leaped in the water at the sound of the whistle. Briefly, she heard a shout from the boys' side, but her body was already swimming across the blue pool. A push from the wall helped her greatly, but she knew she was behind Annie. The girl was a well-oiled machine, performing excellently in everything but socializing, and Ymir had to give her credit – but she wouldn't lose.

She put more strength into her arm strokes and kicked her legs faster, but to no avail; Annie had reached the end before her and passed her red baton to the girl named Jane. Jane wasn't a very strong swimmer anyway, so Ymir put her hope in Krista. She thrust her arm forward and Krista grabbed the baton. The little blonde dove in the pool and pushed off the wall just as Ymir had. Ymir watched her swim, panting heavily. She lifted herself from the pool and crawled back so she was away from the edge.

Krista was swimming with all her might, but she simply was not used to strenuous physical activity such as this. By the time she reached Hannah, Mikasa was already halfway across the pool and she was feeling incredibly exhausted from the sprint. She weakly extended her arm to pass the baton. Hannah smiled warmly and leaped in the water. Krista panted and had to use her legs to push herself up from the pool and onto the floor. She continued to breathe heavily and noticed Ymir staring at her, smiling gently. It was an odd sight to see, and when Ymir noticed her looking, she scowled and turned her head away.

Unfortunately for Mikasa's team, Sasha tripped and fell into the water, though she still had the baton in her hand. This gave Hannah enough time to pass the baton to Mina just as Sasha recovered and pushed off the wall. Annie was literally twitching from head to toe in annoyance and Mikasa sighed and palmed her face. Jane was swinging her legs in the water and giggling at Sasha's funny behaviour.

Mina was an excellent swimmer, but she was no match for Sasha, surprisingly. The lovingly dubbed 'potato girl' was incredibly slow in thought, but amazingly fast in the water. She reached the end just as Mina crossed the halfway point and the entire room gaped in awe. This was Sasha Braus, food lover and, apparently, swimmer extraordinaire!

Hanji blew the whistle the second Sasha touched the wall, then blew it once the other girls each did the same. Keith took notes on his clipboard stoically but his face was pale. In all of his years he'd never imagined Sasha to be proficient at anything, much less a sport! But she was, and though Keith would still continue to treat her the same, he now held a sort of begrudging respect for the 'potato girl'.

Sasha climbed up the pool and jumped up and down in excitement, laughing. "Yeah, yeah! We won! Woo! Mikasa, we won! Isn't this great!"

Mikasa walked up to her with a blank look. "We didn't win the tournament, Sasha."

Sasha deflated but she perked up again. "Who cares? Everyone did their best!"

Krista joined her, laughing, and swung Sasha's arms around. "I never knew you could swim so fast! That was incredible!"

Sasha scratched the back of her head, grinning. "Yeah, well, my family always took us swimming and my pops was really, really good. I just picked up what he knew, that's all."

"Quit being so modest and accept the compliment," Ymir grumbled loudly.

Sasha nodded meekly and passed the baton to the next team. The tired girls walked to the seating area and sighed as they sat. Annie sat alone on the other side of the benches. Ymir was forced to sit with the girls, but she remained on the end of the bench, Krista beside her. They were all wet from the swim and exhausted, but they still had enough energy to cheer their friends on and shout encouragements to the boys. Krista and Sasha were the most active and the loudest, standing from their seats and pumping their fists. They even managed to get a wave started and worked up random cheers on the spot for all the teens. Ymir smiled fondly and couldn't force the smile away; the little blonde's happiness was just too contagious.

At the end of the girls' tournament, it was Mikasa's team that won for the girls, and Reiner's team that won for the boys. They were to be pitted against each other: Annie to Bertholdt, Mikasa to Jean, Jane to Marco and Sasha to Reiner. Reiner was proudly standing with his hands on his hips, apparently not minding the bulge in his spandex suit. Bertholdt was nervously looking around at all the people watching them while Marco was giving Jean a pep talk.

"Jean, you may not be our fastest swimmer – okay actually you're our slowest swimmer–"

"Thanks."

"–but that doesn't mean you're the worst. You have the means to evaluate the other teams and think up a great strategy. Your weakness is a strength, because even though you can't sprint as good as Reiner, you can store your energy better than he can and last longer. You can do it, Jean. I believe in you."

Marco's firm and steady gaze inspired Jean and filled him with a warm feeling he couldn't identify. It wasn't like the feeling he had with Mikasa. This was much more intimate. Jean grinned and scratched the side of his cheek.

"You're an idiot, Marco, but you're a smart idiot."

Marco smiled shyly. The two teams lined up at the boys' swimming area, since Levi refused to get down from his chair and the students were forced to comply with him. All the teens sat on the benches or the floors, screaming their support. Of course, the boys rooted for their team and the girls cheered for theirs. Sasha waved enthusiastically while Mikasa crossed her arms and stared down the pool. Annie sat on the edge, elbows supporting her, and Jane was hyperventilating.

Krista waved back at Sasha then grinned at Ymir. "Isn't this exciting? I hope the girls win!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Ymir! Be a bit more enthusiastic! This is the championship match!"

"Woo."

"Oh, Ymir."

Ymir chuckled and playfully scuffed up Krista's hair. "You're too cute. Marry me, Krista."

Krista blushed and puffed her cheeks. "S-stop, Ymir. That's not funny."

Ymir snickered and put her arm around Krista. "You know you want to."

Krista made no movement and failed to provide a retort. "H-hey look – the competition's starting!"

"So it is."

Levi blew his whistle and Annie and Bertholdt reacted, leaping into the pool. The teens stared in awe as the two were tied neck to neck, but then Bertholdt's height came in and he took the lead. He passed his baton to Jean, who jumped in just as Annie reached the wall. Marco's words echoed in Jean's head and he swam with all his might. His deep breaths and perfect timing enabled him to get a head start on Mikasa, but the girl was catching up rather quickly, trading breathing time for speed. Finally, he reached Marco's outstretched hand and heartily slapped the baton to him. The boy fumbled for a bit but tightened his grip. He dove in at the same time as Jane and they continued the streak.

They stayed tied right until the end, when Marco handed the baton to Reiner and Jane nearly dropped hers as she gave it to Sasha. Sasha let out a whoop when she leaped in. Reiner's powerful body propelled him forward but Sasha's skill and talent kept her on par with him. Again, the teens watched, mesmerized, as the two greatest swimmers of their grade battled it out for first. Who would win? Sasha, the unexpected powerhouse? Or Reiner, the muscled glory?

Krista held her breath and tightly clutched the hand on her shoulder. Ymir winced but tried to keep a straight face. Truthfully, she didn't care who won, she just didn't want this to drag on longer than it should. Krista, on the other hand, was feeling guilty about wanting Sasha to win when Reiner was her friend too.

The most amazing thing happened then. The two swimmers were exactly five metres away from the wall, when Mikasa placed a pile of treats just at the edge of the pool. Upon noticing the food, Sasha's arms spun like windmills, her feet like propellers, and she rushed to the finish line. Reiner managed to catch up but not in time to touch the wall before Sasha.

The girls leaped from the bleachers and laughed as they picked up Sasha and carried her around.

"We did it!"

"Go girls!"

"But the boys did great too, you know."

"Yeah, I think we all win this one, not just us girls."

"That was amazing! Did you see her? Did you see him? Like, whoosh! They were so fast!"

It was a victory for everyone.

After Ymir and Krista showered, separately, the blonde pulled on her friend's arm. She decided they were going to do something that didn't require physical activity. Not to mention they were hungry after all the swimming they did! So Krista brought Ymir to the little café they found on the beach. Hula girls greeted them again and they both shared an amused glance.

They were seated at the same booth as last time, however, the only difference was that Krista was in front of Ymir. They fiddled through the menu and ordered something briefly. The hula girl took their orders with a smile and danced away to the kitchen. Krista giggled and nudged Ymir with her foot.

"Aren't they so pretty? They're so good at dancing, too!"

"I guess... why, do you want to be a hula girl?"

"W-what?! Wouldn't I have to wear the coconuts and grass skirt? No way!"

"Oh, c'mon! I think you'd look cute in that, wouldn't you say, Krista?"

"Y-Ymir!"

"Bwahaha you're all red now!"

"Meanie."

"I'm pretty sure you can come up with something better than that."

"If I said what was really on my mind you wouldn't like me anymore."

"I do it all the time and you're still with me."

"That's different! You can't help it, and you don't always mean what you say."

"How do you know that?"

The hula lady came by then, giving them weird looks and setting their plates down. Krista thanked her with a smile and waited until she left before turning to Ymir with a frown.

"Because you're Ymir! You love to tease me and joke around and do silly things. It's in your nature!"

"It's also in my nature to be violent and aggressive. You're not making any sense, Krista."

"Why can't you just accept that I want to be close friends with you? I've defended you constantly and I always stick to your side. Isn't that enough?"

"..."

"Did I finally get through to you?"

Krista's voice was soft and gentle and it shocked Ymir. Never in her life had someone spoken to her with such conviction and kindness, not since Berik...

Ymir stood suddenly and stalked off. Krista sputtered and stood as well, dropping coins and bills to pay for their untouched meal. Her stomach grumbled but she ignored it in favour of chasing after Ymir. After exiting the little restaurant she spotted Ymir kicking up sand down the beach. She looked furious, her body posture stiff and her hands stuffed deep in her pockets. Krista hesitated but decided to approach her. Something was wrong with Ymir and she was sure it didn't have to do with what she said but its connection to her past.

She jogged to the brunette and grabbed her wrist. Ymir stopped moving but didn't face her. She was clearly upset and sad because she wasn't even struggling. Ymir always put up a fight when she was angry or at least annoyed. It was only when she was the most down that she wouldn't do so and she would ask for help in her own silent way.

Krista understood and she wrapped her arms around Ymir's waist, resting her head on her back. "I'm sorry. I won't bring that up again. I get it. It has to do with your past, doesn't it?" At Ymir's fidget and annoyed grumble she nodded. "Thought so. Don't worry, Ymir, I won't ask you but I want you to know that I'll always be here for you if you want to talk about it. C'mon, let's go back to our table and eat. I hope our food's not gone 'cause I'm starving!"

The blonde pulled away and tugged on Ymir's hand. The brunette rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. She gently clasped the smaller hand in her own bigger one and followed her to the café.

Maybe she'd let her in someday.